Restless
by Roymeo
Summary: "Insomnia and I are well-acquainted." Red Arrow/Artemis if you squint a little


**A/N: I'm just gonna...leave this here. (Note that this takes place after Performance but before Roy is revealed a clone)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, obviously. Longshot would be canon if I did, just saying.**

* * *

The off-colored fluorescent glow that the overhead lights in the kitchen gave off blinded Roy for a minute as he shuffled into the kitchen of the Cave. He had been staying the night after there was a fire in his apartment complex, and the authorities recommended he find somewhere else to stay while they cleaned up the mess across the hall, where the fire was located. He packed up his things, albeit begrudgingly, at 11 pm and made his way to Mt. Justice, where the team – most of the team – accepted his presence with ease and continued on with their daily lives.

Artemis, on the other hand, was a different story. Not that he blamed her for having reservations towards him, he had thought her the mole and threatened her on more than one occasion, but he was at least hoping she would be a little more open minded.

"Try to keep an open mind," he muttered, quoting the blonde from only a few days before as he opened each of the cupboards in search for a cup. Suddenly, the quiet air shifted from comfortable to tense as another person entered the room. Roy paused, easing himself away from the counter to stare at the intruder, who was fixing him with an amused look.

"Looking for something?" Artemis asked with a raised eyebrow. "A mole, perhaps?"

_"Hilarious,"_ he deadpanned. "I'm looking for a cup, if you'd please." He gestured for her to move out of the way of the only cabinet he hadn't checked yet. She complied, snorting as he made a triumphant noise under his breath at his discovery.

"Can't sleep?"

The question came as a surprise as he drew his head out of the fridge with a carton of orange juice in hand. She was making small talk? Really? "Uh…yeah," he replied. "You too?"

She offered him a small, sheepishly awkward smile, shrugging her shoulders slightly as she slid a cup across the counter to him. "Insomnia and I are well-acquainted."

Roy smirked slightly, sipping out of the cup before gently setting it back down on the counter, as if the clanging noise would awake the others and ruin the moment. _Ruin the moment, _he mused, he was talking as if he was actually, dare he say it, enjoying the girl's company. She wasn't nearly as bad when they weren't at each other's throats. Not that he'd admit it out loud. "What do you usually do to get through it?"

She shrugged again, accidentally brushing her bare arm against his as she turned to put the cup in the sink. Roy felt pins and needles scatter across the spot where their arms touched, shivering slightly with the sensation. What the hell was _that?_ He frowned, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "Well," she began, rejoining him at the island. "When I can't sleep, I like to watch movies. Boring ones, mostly. Nothing with too much action or explosions. Movies that, literally, bore me to sleep."

"Sounds like a good idea," he said, finishing off the rest of the orange juice before making his way into the living area. "Let's do it."

"Are you serious?" she asked, bewildered as he gestured to the space beside him on the couch, remote in hand. "Right now. You want to watch a movie. Just you and me."

He rose an eyebrow in her direction, already flipping through the list of movies on the TV. "Why not?"

"No reason," she answered, uncomfortably sitting down next to him, her body rigid. "Oh wait, go back….That one."

"Seriously?" He snorted, reading the description. "I can't believe you've watched this movie before. It looks terrible."

"To be fair, I've only ever seen the beginning." Artemis smiled. "'Fall asleep before the end every time."

[Five hours later]

"_Wally, don't wake them up!"_

"_Sorry, beautiful, I can't help it."_

"_I've never seen them not argue for this _long._"_

"_Then let us savor this moment and leave them be."_

There was a shuffling of footsteps, and then silence again. Roy blearily opened his eyes, a task that seemed nigh unaccomplishable. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep, but he knew with the others awake, it was impossible, especially with this weight on his chest. Blinking to clear his vision, he looked down at his chest, and where he expected to see a pillow or Wolf or _something_, there was only Artemis.

Her hair was coming out of its tight ponytail slightly, leaving flyaway hairs to drift into her face, twitching slightly as she took slow, deep breaths. One hand was fisted in his t-shirt while the other was pressed against his side, as if she was trying to hug him and was unsuccessful. He himself had both arms wrapped around her in a loose grip, something that he couldn't believe he had done subconsciously.

"Artemis," he whispered, nudging her slightly. She barely made a response, only burrowing her face farther into his chest and muttering something in Vietnamese. "Artemis._ Artemis. Arty!"_

"Wha-what?" She gasped and jolted awake, lifting up off of his chest until she was straddling his waist. Brushing a few strands of hair out of her face, she took in her surroundings before settling her gaze on Roy. It was only a matter of seconds before her eyes widened to impossible proportions. "What the hell?"

"Morning sleeping beauty," he snorted, shifting slightly so he could sit up. "Sleep well?"

She rolled her eyes, pushing his chest lightly, a gesture she certainly wouldn't have done a day before. "Shut up, morning breath."

"Quite an insult coming from the girl who looks like she got hit by a truck." Roy laughed, grabbing the arm that was raised to hit him. The blonde scowled in return, wrenching her wrist out of his grip before rolling off of him and onto the floor.

"At least that's not my normal look," she retorted, rocking to her feet. "Unlike _some_people."

"Oh, you wound me, Arty," he chuckled.

She glared, letting out a loud, frustrated sigh as she yanked the band holding her hair out. Roy watched her long blonde locks tumble over her shoulders in waves with interest. The bangs that he'd only seen once before drifted into her face, making him clench his hand to prevent the urge to brush them away. When she looked up at him, he stared straight ahead into her eyes, a small smirk playing on his lips; she couldn't help but smirk back. "…You're insufferable."

"I've been called worse."


End file.
